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What does a commercial roofer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read

Commercial roofers work on various materials like metal, wood, shingles, tiles, steel, etc. They inspect the roof of properties to know the best replacement or repair procedure to fix them. Being a roofer is a physically demanding job that requires them to have a considerable level of stamina to climb and walk in all kinds of weather. They make sure that buildings are safe and sound for everyone who will be working or living inside. They should also be dedicated to safety and have communication skills to achieve customer satisfaction.

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Commercial roofer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real commercial roofer resumes:

  • Work as an apprentice roofer on a low-slope commercial crew applying several different types of EPDM, PVC and TPO membranes.
  • Experience include EPDM, mop-down and TPO systems.
  • Perform installation and repair of PVC and vinyl type flat roofs of commercial buildings ..
  • Cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, or relate materials.
  • Train in TPO heat welding.
  • Construct residential roofs using shingles.
  • Climb ladders, scaffolding or utility.
  • Still used torches and skill saws and motorize buggys.
  • Maintain proper safety codes and procedures to keep up with OSHA regulations.
  • Used glazing, cement or caulking to prevent water leakage and rust.
  • Assist journeymen in performing tasks such as prepping roofs and carrying heavy materials.
  • Apply gravel or peddle over to layers of roofs, using rakes or staff-bristle.
  • Apply alternate layers of roofing paper, cut roofing paper to size using knives, and maintain a safe working environment.
  • Mop and pour hot asphalt and tar onto roof base while applying asphalt and tar and gravel to roof.
  • Work as part of a team in order to make sure that all work are done according to OSHA standards.

Commercial roofer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 26% of Commercial Roofers are proficient in Roofing, Asphalt, and PVC. They’re also known for soft skills such as Manual dexterity, Physical strength, and Unafraid of heights.

We break down the percentage of Commercial Roofers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Roofing, 26%

    Applied alternate layers of roofing paper, cut roofing paper to size using knives, and maintained a safe working environment.

  • Asphalt, 12%

    Mopped and poured hot asphalt and tar onto roof base while applying asphalt and tar and gravel to roof.

  • PVC, 10%

    Worked with EPDM rubber, PVC, hot tapered systems, torch down, standing seam and conventional shingles.

  • TPO, 9%

    Removed old roofs, applied new roof: TPO, Single-ply Rubber, Four-ply hot tar.

  • Roof Systems, 7%

    Repaired and installed rubber roof systems, Installed metal roof systems, installed shingle/slate roof systems.

  • OSHA, 7%

    Worked as part of a team in order to make sure that all work was done according to OSHA standards.

"roofing," "asphalt," and "pvc" are among the most common skills that commercial roofers use at work. You can find even more commercial roofer responsibilities below, including:

Manual dexterity. The most essential soft skill for a commercial roofer to carry out their responsibilities is manual dexterity. This skill is important for the role because "roofers need to be precise in handling and installing roofing materials in order to prevent damage to the roof and building." Additionally, a commercial roofer resume shows how their duties depend on manual dexterity: "perform all manual labor aspects of the job, gave estimates on projects. "

Physical strength. Another essential skill to perform commercial roofer duties is physical strength. Commercial roofers responsibilities require that "roofers often lift and carry heavy materials, such as bundles of shingles that weigh 60 pounds or more." Commercial roofers also use physical strength in their role according to a real resume snippet: "worked as a team member to reconstruct roofs - required hard work ethic, physical labor, and time management"

All commercial roofer skills

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Compare different commercial roofers

Commercial roofer vs. Shingler

If we compare the average commercial roofer annual salary with that of a shingler, we find that shinglers typically earn a $4,044 higher salary than commercial roofers make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both commercial roofer and shingler positions are skilled in shingles, tape measure, and caulking.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between commercial roofers and shingler. For instance, commercial roofer responsibilities require skills such as "roofing," "asphalt," "pvc," and "tpo." Whereas a shingler is skilled in "nail guns," "air tools," "safety procedures," and "ran." This is part of what separates the two careers.

The education levels that shinglers earn slightly differ from commercial roofers. In particular, shinglers are 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a commercial roofer. Additionally, they're 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Commercial roofer vs. Roofer apprentice

On average, roofer apprentices earn a $2,544 lower salary than commercial roofers a year.A few skills overlap for commercial roofers and roofer apprentices. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "roofing," "asphalt," and "pvc. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that commercial roofer responsibilities requires skills like "roof systems," "scaffolding," "tape measure," and "chalk lines." But a roofer apprentice might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "work trucks," "hoisting," "hot asphalt," and "composition materials."

Roofer apprentices may earn a lower salary than commercial roofers, but roofer apprentices earn the most pay in the energy industry with an average salary of $39,366. On the other hand, commercial roofers receive higher pay in the construction industry, where they earn an average salary of $38,455.In general, roofer apprentices achieve similar levels of education than commercial roofers. They're 0.6% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Commercial roofer vs. Roofer assistant

On average scale, roofer assistants bring in lower salaries than commercial roofers. In fact, they earn a $461 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on commercial roofers and roofer assistants resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "roofing," "repair procedures," and "shingles.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, commercial roofers are more likely to have skills like "asphalt," "pvc," "tpo," and "roof systems." But a roofer assistant is more likely to have skills like "nail guns," "hoists," "pulleys," and "construction sites."

Most roofer assistants achieve a similar degree level compared to commercial roofers. For example, they're 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Commercial roofer vs. Shingles roofer

Shingles roofers average a higher salary than the annual salary of commercial roofers. The difference is about $3,766 per year.While their salaries may vary, commercial roofers and shingles roofers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "roofing," "pvc," and "tpo. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "asphalt," "roof systems," "osha," and "bur" are skills that commonly show up on commercial roofer resumes. On the other hand, shingles roofers use skills like nail guns, building roof, reasonable amount, and jan on their resumes.shingles roofers reach similar levels of education compared to commercial roofers, in general. The difference is that they're 0.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of commercial roofer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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